Oven-Roasted Applesauce and Apple Butter

Homemade applesauce and apple butter are wonderful treats for any age, and my boys particularly love them. I grew up enjoying my grandparent’s homemade apple butter, which they faithfully canned for many years. They are both gone now, and I never did get the recipe from them, but I keep hoping that a relative will suddenly announce that they’ve found the long lost family recipe and kindly share it with me. Family heirlooms like that should be preserved (pun intended). Read more

Cranberry Apple Raisin Crisp

Nothing says fall like a fresh apple crisp made from apples you picked yourself, so last weekend we drove to Tarara Winery and hit the orchards. Fujis and Staybrites were ripe for picking, but the Granny Smiths were all gone, as were the Honey Crisps and Empires (my personal favorite). The boys had a great time and kept trying to eat all the apples they found on the ground, even though we encouraged them to save the ground apples for the birds. Later my three-year-old wanted to help make the crisp, so he played my assistant and measured and poured ingredients as well as helped mix up the crumb topping.

We didn’t find any Golden Delicious, so I used some of the Fujis in this dessert. The primary flavors are cranberry, orange, and cloves, with the apples being a sweet foil for the tartness of the cranberries and oranges. The cloves provide a warm depth of flavor, and the crisp pairs perfectly with vanilla bean ice cream. In fact, the ice cream is almost a necessity to balance the tartness of the cranberries and orange. Read more

Slow Cooker Four Bean Baked Beans

When I was growing up, baked beans were a delicious part of all our cook outs and potlucks. Cans of pork and beans were mixed with ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and onions, then baked in the oven. Sometimes strips of bacon were laid on top, creating a smoky aroma and flavor that reminds me of many summers spent playing outdoors all day long and outdoor meals enjoyed with family and friends.

I haven’t made baked beans in a long time and this summer I was looking for an excuse to make some. Our neighbors hosted a potluck cookout over the weekend, and I jumped at the chance to try out a slow-cooker variation of my favorite baked beans recipe. This version is made with four kinds of beans, ground beef, and bacon and then slow-cooked for five or six hours. They smelled wonderful as they cooked, and they were a hit at the potluck. The flavor is a little sweet, a little smoky, and a little tangy, a nice combination. Read more

Maine Blueberry Pie

Maine is our spot. We vacationed there while dating, got married in the garden of the Bar Harbor Tides bed and breakfast overlooking Frenchman Bay in Bar Harbor, took our wedding photos throughout Acadia National Park, and went back to visit when I was pregnant with our first child. Sadly, the last visit was four years ago and various circumstances have prevented us from going back. But every year in the summer and fall we think about going back and hiking through Acadia and enjoying Maine wild blueberries, and if for some reason we won’t be able to go we say, “I miss Maine.” Read more

Thai Coconut Curry with Chicken

This is the first dish I tried at the original Big Bowl in Chicago, and boy did I get hooked! I spent the next year looking up similar recipes and trying to clone the dish. This is the final version that I came up with, and it’s one that we really enjoy. You can turn the spiciness up or down by using more or less curry paste, depending on your heat tolerance.

[Updated February 14, 2010.]

THAI COCONUT CURRY WITH CHICKEN

Serves 4 to 6.

Equipment

large skillet or wok
sharp knife Read more

Jambalaya

When I first made this a few years ago, my husband had recently been to New Orleans, and said this tasted almost exactly like the great jambalaya he had on his trip. We make this jambalaya a few times a year, changing it up a little each time depending on what we have on hand. This makes great leftovers, and we usually freeze a couple containers of this, just thaw it out overnight in the frig for a quick weeknight meal or lunch.

[Updated December 29, 2009.]

JAMBALAYA

Adapted from Food Network.

Makes about 5 quarts.

Equipment

rice cooker (or you can cook it on the stove)
sharp knife
6 quart pot Read more